HAUS is seeking candidates for the position of Data Infrastructure & Data Infrastructure Investment Expert to work in DIF team and establish its presence in South-Africa. The Expert is responsible for managing and implementing the DIF activities, with close coordination of the rest of the DIF team (located in EU, Kenya and Senegal) and in line with the broader DIF and Data Governance Initiative framework.

The selected candidate will operate in policy areas relevant for green and secure data infrastructure promoting investments at the national, regional and/or continental levels. As such, S/he is expected to interact with global and private investors for promoting co-financing and fostering business cases for public and private sector and public-private partnerships including matching potential investors and data infrastructure project developers. The candidate is expected to also participate in the development of DIF service offering including participation in the preparation of relevant procurements and resources.

Qualifications and skills required for the position:

Advanced University degree in a relevant area such as economics, international business administration, finance, innovation management or related field.

General professional experience required:

• At least 7 years of experience in financing for development and designing of development cooperation projects.
• Familiarity with the project preparation tools and processes including feasibility studies, market assessments of data/digital infrastructure projects, economic impact assessments, and ESG analysis.
• Experience in assessing and advancing investments in data or other digital infrastructure.

Desired professional experience:

• Experience on EU’s development financing, including investment opportunities for green and secure data infrastructure.
• Knowledge of Finnish development policy and EU partnership with African partners.
• Knowledge of global and private development financiers, such as Finnfund.
• Experience in implementing projects or capacity development to public and/or private sector to design digital infrastructure projects.
• Experience in managing partnerships and/or policy dialogues engaging governments, regional communities, investors and/or other key players in sub-Saharan Africa.

Language skills: Excellent written and oral communication in English and Working knowledge of Finnish language.  French language is an asset.

Project background:

New Data Governance in Africa is a joint initiative by 5 EU member states and the European Commission, aiming at:

• Strengthening comprehensive and harmonised policies and regulations on personal and non-personal data,
• Leveraging data use and cross-border data flows to create value and inform regulations in selected sectors,
• Enhancing partnerships for investments in green and secure data infrastructure promoted through the Digital Investment Facility (DIF).

Digital cooperation is the cornerstone of the African Union (AU)-European Union (EU) strategic partnership and a key component of the Joint Vision for sustained and sustainable economic growth. Within this frame of reference, the EU and the AU agreed to leverage the potential of the data economy while avoiding the misuse of data and potential fragmentation of data markets. Europe and Africa have both addressed themes related to data governance through several policy developments in the recent years. Finland has joined the initiative and engaged via HAUS to manage the agreed project activities in close cooperation with other EU member state agencies. Finland through HAUS is focussing on the following two components of the initiative: Data use and cross-border data flows and Enhanced partnerships for investments in green and secure data infrastructure, in the latter of which, Finland is also assigned as the Component Co-Lead. We are now seeking candidate for the following position of the initiative.

HAUS Finnish Institute of Public Management Ltd:

HAUS Finnish Institute of Public Management Ltd (HAUS) is a state-owned company, which provides training and development services to the state administrations. HAUS is a state stakeholder unit under the steering of the Ministry of Finance of Finland. HAUS has substantial experience on international projects in the field of public sector reforms and development. We have implemented more than 50 international projects in more than 20 countries with increasing focus on digital transformation.

How to apply?

To apply for this fixed term position until 30 September 2026, please send your motivation letter and CV (max. 3 pages) to Director (Development) Kirsi Aaltola (kirsi.aaltola[at]haus.fi) and cc. Ilari Lindy (Project Lead) (ilari.lindy[at]haus.fi) by 16.00 (UTC+2) on 15^th August 2024. CVs and motivation letters will be shared among the interview panelists.